Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,653, incorporated in 1856.
Cheswold gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $315K for a typical one, or 4.2 years of the Dover metro’s $74K median household income. It grades C overall, 25th of 37 graded towns in Delaware. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country. 31% of the land in Cheswold is conserved, where Delaware’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Among 37 Delaware towns, just 1 have a higher share of households owning their home than Cheswold. Cheswold has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them T. H. Denny House and Hoffecker-Lockwood House.
Where Cheswold beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hoffecker-Lockwood House| Widest gap | Cheswold | DE |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.6% | 12.7% |
1,380 counted in 2010 and 1,923 in 2020; an estimated 2,653 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 37.7% since 2020, after 39.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Delaware), ordered by how far Cheswold is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 129 in 1890, 1,923 in 2020. The archive holds 4 maps from 1930 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cheswold, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Cheswold.
18% of adults have diabetes in Cheswold, above both Delaware’s towns (13%) and U.S. towns (12%). 47% of adults have obesity in Cheswold. Among 37 Delaware towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Cheswold.
| Cheswold | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 27% | 25% |
| What stands out | Cheswold | DE |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 14.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.6% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its 385 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 91% of Delaware towns.
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. School Lane Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Cheswold for work: only 0% work in town. The average trip to work in Cheswold is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Cheswold grew to 278 in 2023, 53 more than in 2013.
| Cheswold | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 5.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 8.3% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Cheswold since 2022.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cheswold has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 25° and about 13 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cheswold’s property crime rate is 5.5 per 1,000 residents. Within Delaware, it does better than 76% of towns. Cheswold’s violent crime rate is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Cheswold | Delaware towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 18.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Only 1 of the 35 Delaware towns we compare have a lower median rent than Cheswold.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Cheswold
About 9 of every 100 Cheswold residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Delaware.
Where Cheswold’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Delaware, United States
Cheswold is a town in Kent County in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is part of the Dover metropolitan area. The population was 1,923 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cheswold grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #25 of 37 in Delaware. It grades D for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Delaware, it does better than 76% of towns.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $315,000, 22% below the Delaware typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
Cheswold was incorporated in 1856 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 2 notable people were born here, including J. Caleb Boogs and Spook Jacobs.